Come In From the Rain
by QueenAmbrose
Summary: They say we're all connected. That statement couldn't be any truer for these 7 people. AU. Features the Bella Twins, The Shield, Randy Orton, Kaitlyn, CM Punk and others.
1. Prologue

**AN: New fic, oh I'm gonna get in trouble for this one. Lol. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except for this wacky idea. Also, thanks to mushyface, and liveforambrose for their help. **

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><p>Nikki and Brie stood in front of their new house, boxes of their stuff in hand. They looked at each other, both smiling because this was exactly what they needed. A new beginning; a fresh start. It was Brie's idea, originally. But Nikki needed it, so she agreed to move in with her sister. "Ready?" Brie asked, smiling brightly at her twin.<p>

"As ready as I'm gonna get, so let's go inside." Nikki was less enthusiastic, not because she was unhappy with the idea, hell, she had picked out the house. But because she was worried. "How pissed do you think he'll be?"

Brie dropped the boxes on the stairs and placed her hands on her hips, "Nikki, it doesnt matter what he thinks any more." Brie answered, walking away, heading back to her car. Nikki stood on the porch, letting the wind blow in her face. she looked up at the clouds, the grayness of the sky was welcomed by her, and the rain that was about to follow would certainly help her sleep later. She was pulled from her reverie by the sound of the car trunk being slammed shut, "Phillip, Punk, whatever you call him, he doesn't get to care anymore. You're not married, you don't owe him anything. Besides, he probably won't be be back home for another week like always."

"But, do you think we were too rash?" Nikki bit the her thumb nail, she had a tendency to overthink everything. Even when she didn't have to.

"No. Nikki, stop worrying about it." Brie wished her sister would just get over her ex husband, but she knew that 10 years of marriage was hard to forget. The memories would surely be stuck with Nikki, but Brie needed her to let it go in order to be happy. Nikki had been content at one point, Brie knew that much. It would be hard to move on from such a marriage. Especially one that had started and ended when they were young. If she were being honest, Brie would just admit that she had never liked the man, but she had never been one to stand in the way of anyones happiness. However Nikki wasn't happy. And she still deserved to be after her divorce.

Nikki rubbed her temples, cursing under her breath as she tried to calm down. Her heart was beating so fast she felt like she were going to explode. She knew Brie was right, but she didn't want to admit it. Punk had hurt her. Intentionally. Unintentionally. Whatever. He was at work more than he was home. And when it mattered most - 3 years ago - when he was no where to be found. Not even when she was laying in a hospital bed, a life stolen from them, and child they'd never hold or name, or raise. He let his responsibilities as a detective get in the way of his responsibilities a husband was held to. Part of her would forever blame him for the deterioration of their marital bliss. "We should go inside." Nikki said.

"Yeah," Brie replied, watching as Nikki walked with slight limp. Her sister had been hurt as a teen in highschool -a freak soccer accident - and their parents couldn't afford the surgery to fix it. They grew up without medical insurance. Brie had learned to never talk about it, Nikki had learned to accept it, being different. So everyone around her never spoke about it. "Are you working tomorrow?"

"Maybe." Nikki yelled back from the kitchen. She sat, itching to pick up her phone and reply to her ex husbands text messages. She knew he would notice she had gotten the last of her stuff from their apartment. She looked up at her sister, tears stinging in her eyes, "I had a few people cancel on me, so I'm not sure if I have any showings or not." Nikki was a realtor, but business had been slow because the economy had gotten so bad. Not that she minded having nothing to do most of the day, it gave her free time to try and heal her wounds; her broken heart. "Do you?"

"I'm on call, so I could get summoned any minute now." Brie yawned, sitting in the kitchen floor, her back to the sliding door. Nikki raised her eye brow, questioning her sister. Brie smiled, "I'm a nurse, remember?"

"Duh," Nikki rolled her eyes, "I was just wondering why you sat on the floor when they're seven other chairs around the table.."

"I like the floor." Brie stuck her tongue out. She had missed their playful banter, they hadn't been as close the entire decade Nikki had been married, not on purpose, but they had led separate lives. One Brie hid from her sister at all costs. How long has it been now? Does she know about me? Does she hate me? She wondered.

"I'll remember that… Just remember wood floors could hurt your knees and-"

"Oh my god, Nicole!" Brie hollered, covering her ears. Nikki laughed at her and the bright shade of red that colored her sister's cheeks. "You're so gross!"

"Why do you think I was married for so long?" Nikki's laughing died down a bit at the reminder she had given herself. She always managed to bring up memories, she herself had tried so desperately to suppress. Brie saw the look on her face, so she didn't reply, letting the question hang in the air like a nuclear bomb about to hit.

"I'm hungry." Brie sighed.

Nikki gave her a small smile, thankful for the subject change, "I'll go grocery shopping later, the fridge is empty." She would be in pain when she got back, from all the walking, but she was determined to only complain about it when she was by herself.

"I can go with you." Brie offered. Although she never said anything, she knew Nikki was always in pain from her hip down on her left side. She wished she could help.

"No, you don't have to." Nikki protested. "I'm going later, you'll probably be working." Really she was hoping Brie was at work later. She needed to be alone for a couple days to process.

"I'll just order take out then?" Brie asked, she had a real hankering for pizza anyway.

"Yeah.." Nikki snorted at the excited look on Brie's face.

"Pizza." They said in unison before bursting into a fit of laughter.

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><p>"Punk..."<p>

"I don't wanna talk about it, okay?" He stalked off, rubbing his tattooed hand over his short hair.

Kaitlyn stepped out of her squad car, pulling on her protective vest to lay lower on her hips. Checking for her gun, she continued behind her partner, hit with a slight pang of sadness. He hadn't spoken to her since she picked him up from his apartment. She had tried to get him to engage in conversation, but he just shut down, constantly checking his phone. She sighed, tightening her ponytail as they approached Captain Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley - the only woman to even be captain in their unit. "Whaddo we got?" Kaitlyn asked, looking at the shrewn bodies around them.

Her Captain shook away all emotion, stoning herself off, "Robbery."

"Body count?" Punk asked, looking to see for himself.

"Just two." She replied, "Undercovers..." She looked at the files she had been hugging toward her chest, "Graves and Taylor." She said the two names with no emotion, only the look of anger and despair in her expression voices her true feelings. "They had just stopped for some cash...I sent them her to pick up. Next thing they know..."

"You thinking it's Reigns and the other two he runs with?" Punks asked, squating to the floor to pull back the cover of the body of the male that had been shot. "This one looks like he put up a fight with one of them..." He picked up the limp hand of the young man, inspecting his hands, "There's blood under his nails.."

"Where's the M.E?" Kaitlyn asked, walking around the room, looking up on the corners, "I need all footage from before, during, and after this all went down."

"M.E. is on her way, and I already told Randy to get a warrant for the tapes." Stephanie smiled slightly, proud of her two best detectives. "I want whoever did this behind bars. What does it say about us if we can't even protect our own?" She turned on her heel, heading outside, avoiding the press that had gathered and the civilians who were just being curious. She wondered what it would take other them to leave, because an impending thunderstorm didn't seem to be doing the trick.

Punk covered the man up again, moving over to join Kaitlyn in the safe that had been broken into, "So much for security."

Kaitlyn snorted, running her gloved hands along the big silver door of the safe, "Impecable cleaning staff though." She looked back at him, "No fingerprints. On this type of medal we'd be able to see them if there were any."

"So they didn't use the door." Punk reasoned. They both looked up, "The vents or something."

"This is some spy kids shit." Kaitlyn shook her head.

"Spy Kids didn't kill people or rob banks."


	2. Delivery

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything. **

**A/N: I want to extend a big thanks to all of you who reviewed/followed/favorited this. It was a big encouragement. Please continue, reviews make me happy and help me know when you enjoy my work (and when you don't. Hah)**

***Not beta'd***

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Delivery <strong>

It never gets easier - running. It's always as nerve wracking as the first time. It's a good thing, a very good thing. it means you still have a conscience. Dean shook his head, shook away the regret that he felt, knowing this crime wasn't just a job, but could cost him and Roman a friend. As he drove, Dean bit on his lip, nervously stealing glances in the rear view mirror at the cars behind them and Roman and Seth in the backseat. Seth was fading in and out, the wooziness caused by seeing his own blood soaking his shirt getting to him. "How bad is it?" Dean asked, hoping, praying that Seth would be okay. He needed Seth - a man that had become a brother to him - to be okay.

"Bad," Roman barked. He wanted to blame Dean for it, but in reality, the man had saved Seth's life. The youngest of the three surely would have been killed back at the bank if Dean hadn't shot both of those cops. Two cops. They had been rookies when he gave it up. They were what Roman used to be. Seth was getting his ass handed to him by the tattooed guy. He applied pressure to the bullet wound in Seth's side, both hands covered in scarlet liquid. "Shit. Dean, he needs to go to a hospital." He flexed his fingers They were covered in blood ant were starting to stick together because of the sticky liquid.

"You know we can't go to a hospital and I'll be damned if we just drop him off there and leave him." Dean snapped, swerving into the next lane, turning down a random street. he beeped his horn, telling the car in front of him to turn or drive faster.

"Well what the fuck are we gonna do then?" Roman hollered, slowly losing hope that Seth would be make it until the next day. He had always been a cynic and in times like this, he was always the most realistic. There was no way in hell Seth wouldn't succumb to his injury if he didn't get medical attention.

"I'm thinking. Shut up for a second." Dean snapped. There were several houses, all of them big, and well kept, but boring looking. Part of him resented the while neighborhood. He wanted that growing up. But instead, he got a stuffy apartment, drunk mother and absentee mother. He hated everyone in the neighborhood already. He saw a house at the end of the block, with a long walk up and was much farther apart from the next door house in comparison to the others. And a guy on a pizza delivery bike. "That's the one."

"Dean what the-"

"We're getting Seth some help." He sped up, hoping to catch the young man on the bike before he started making his way up the driveway. He had a plan, granted, one with about a 50% chance of working. But it was their only - realistic - option. As they pulled up to the parked bike, the delivery guy looked startled.

Dean jumped out of the car, not stopping the engine or closing the door, realizing the pizza guy couldn't have been more than 17. He almost regretted what he was about to do. But he squared his shoulders, "You have 5 seconds to hand that over and get out of here." He pointed to the piouch holding and keeping the pizza(s) warm.

The teen shook his head, "Nah man, I need to -" Dean rolled his eyes. He didn't have time for this.

Dean punched him in the face, effectively deeming the boy unconscious. "5." He watched as the brown haired teen fall to the pavement, he took the sack holding the pizza, nodding at Roman who had stayed in the car.

Dean ran his way up the driveway, mumbling at the redundancy of having such a long driveway. He looked at the house, determination etched on his face. He stepped up the porch, knocking on the front door, banging on it actually.

The door opened, a woman answering it, smiling at him, "How much?" She asked, fishing in her purse for what he presumed to be her wallet.

"I don't know. I'm not the delivery guy." Dean rushed out, "A friend of mine- he's hurt."

"Uh," She looked up at him hesitantly, "I'll call an ambulance then." She looked back into the house, past the foyer and the grandstaircases lining the room. "Nikk! Bring-"

"No!" He yelled loudly, louder than he intended.

"Brie, why are you- who's at the door?" Another woman approached, Dean took note of her limp and the fact that the two women looked exactly alike.

"No hospitals." Dean insisted. "Can you help or not?" He asked, agitation obvious in his tone. He didn't have time. Granted, they were strangers, but he didn't have all day. Seth was dying in the back seat of a truck.

"What the hell is going on?" Nikki asked, she was so confused. But the man sounded desperate and looked like hell.

"Yeah, where is your friend?" Brie asked. She didn't think about the consequences of inviting strangers into the new house, but she figured he'd have killed her and Nikki already.

Dean waved down the driveway. Roman drove up , quickly, stepping out the pick up.

"Brie, we can't-" Nikki started, but Brie was already out the door, helping the two men get another man out the backseat of the truck. "Oh my god." Nikki put her hand over her mouth, quickly rushing into the house, taking the pizza with her - because she'd eat it later - into the kitchen. She cleared the boxes off the table, just as her sister and the dangerous looking men rush into the kitchen, puting him onto the table. "What the hell happened-" Nikki inquired loudly, watching as the man who knocked on the door, and the man with a tribal tattoo looked out the windows, closing the curtains.

"Nikki, not right now. I need a bowl of warm water, a wash cloth and my kit from under the sink and pliers." Brie ordered, pulling her white shirt over her head, leaving her in a black tank top and her jeans. Nikki sprang into action, feeling the pang of pain in her leg. They maneuvered around each other. Brie quickly washed her hands in the kitchen sink, red tinted water curling the drain. Neither of them asking for the strangers name. Nikki tentatively watched them as she collected what Brie had asked for.

2 minutes later, Nikki stood by, watching as Brie cut the mans shirt off, revealing the bullet hole, just under his ribs. It was swollen and red, blooding trickling onto the table. "What the hell happened - who are you?" Nikki demanded to know. She watched as the brown haired man took a step toward where Brie was standing. He bit on his knuckle, looking worried and ignoring her. Neither men answered her, more worried about the man on the table and what Brie was doing. The daruler skinned man of the three waliked out of the kitchen, and Nikki watched as he disappeared, listening to his loud footsteps as he exited the front door.

"I need you to step back," Brie told the man biting his knuckle, sitting in a chair, preparing to dig for the bullet causing his friends bleeding.

"Are you a doctor or something?" He asked, calmer than Nikki thought he looked and should have sounded. His actions were showing his true feelings.

"No." Brie answered, "But I know what I'm doing." Seth started to stir, he opened his eyes, and tried to move, but Brie restrained him. It was much easier than it should have been. "Hi," she cooed. "You picked the wrong time to wake up."

"Where-" He croaked. Dean moved into his line of sight, wearily smiling at his friend, his parter in crime. "Dean. Where's Roman?"

"Right here," Nikki turned around to see the large man re enter the kitchen, two duffel bags in his hands. He dropped them, kicking them under the table. He patted the mans leg, watching him intently.

Brie watched him, entranced for a moment. "Take off your belt," Brie cleared her throat.

"Wha-"

"He's gonna need it." Brie replied, looking back down at Seth sympathetically. The man with the tribal tattoo did as he was told, quickly handing it over.

Nikki held her hands up, flexed, expressing her confusion "Brie, what the hell-"

Brie looked at the man on the table, "Whats your name?" She smiled at him, noticing his two-tone colored hair for the first time.

He looked at her, then back at Dean and Roman, they did nothing but stare back at him; They looked more nervous than he did. "Seth." He answered.

"Okay Seth." Brie nodded, handing him the belt. "Bite on that." She smiled at his confusion, "Trust me." He took the belt in his shaking hand, puting a part of the belt in between his teeth. He found his teeth, leaving marks on the leather. Brie nodded, "Okay, this is going to hurt... A lot."

Nikki covered her ears and the two men winced as Brie dug into Seth's flesh and he let out a muffled, yet horrifying scream. Just then, rain started pouring into the deck, thunder was heard, and lightning hit.

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><p><strong>AN: Well isn't Dean extra lucky? Lol. **

**Leave a review or just a hdlgjaksnaldmsjs. You choose.**


	3. Diner

**A/N: I'm HORRIBLE with updates, I know. Sorry.**

**not beta'd**

**Any people you recogize? They aren't mine and this fic is for entertainment purposes only. **

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><p>Kaitlyn stared at Punk from her desk, her arms crossed over her chest. He worked more vigorously when he was avoiding something , when he was dealing with a personal issue. And right then, he was putting the energizer bunny after two Red Bulls to shame. They had been working for hours, and had made no headway. They still hadn't gotten the report for the crime scene or the Medical Examiner's report - which would take a while. She crossed her arms and flipped her hair over her shoulder, taking her feet off her desk and getting up. She slammed his file close, and he turned his head to look up at her, eyebrows scrunched, "What the fuck are you doing?"<p>

She smiled at him, her plump lips forming a thin line, "We're going to lunch." She left no room for argument, as she had already turned his chair around and was leaning her weight on his the armrests, "No arguments. So get your lazy ass up."

"Nope," He shook his head. He needed to drown in detective work. "I don't want to-"

"I didn't ask you if you wanted to. Don't make me have to drag you out of here."

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><p>Nikki sat on her couch in the den, staring blankly at the flames of the fireplace. She had been sitting there for hours, just sitting and listening to the sounds of the house. She held her phone tightly in her hand -partly because there were strange men in her house, and because she wanted to call Punk - and she hoped she'd let herself let go of the phone. She had read all of his texts and listened to all the voice-mails she let fester for weeks. She hadn't felt bad until she started to feel lonely. She loved her sister, but Brie hadn't held her and kept her warm at night for 10 years.<p>

She stretched her legs along the leather couch, her skin had stuck to the material and her legs had fallen asleep - her left leg had lost feeling long before the other. She put her empty mug on the floor beside the end of the couch, throwing herself back against the assorted pillows afterward. She stared up at the vaulted ceiling, staring at the small specks of darker wood in each beam, and listening to the wind outside. She was doing everything in her power to avoid thinking about how shitty she was feeling. Her hand fell to her stomach and she subconsciously started rubbing small circles under her sweater. She listened to the rain roll on the roof and the crackle of the wood in the fireplace as tears started to well in her eyes. She wondered how her - her and Punk's - child would look. Would he or she have Punk or her's color eyes, or light or dark hair, Punk or her's nose? Would Punk have been a good father? Nikki wondered about such details when she was alone and idle; she never did anything to change it.

She heard a frustrated groan. Being nosey, and on edge, she looked up, peaking from behind the couch. She saw Dean, his shaggy hair being pulled on by his worn fingers. He paced and she wanted to ask him why he was so angry. But she refrained because the obvious criminal wasn't one to be played with, that much she already knew. She felt stupid for letting them into her home. He turned around, his hand shooting up to his chest, obviously startled.

"Sorry." Nikki apologized before she could even think about it. She shook her head, chastising herself. She was never the one accepting apologies; instead, she was constantly handing them out.

He stared at her, his head cocked to the side. She noticed his scruffy facial hair immediately and the red tone it held in that light of a fireplace. He smiled, "For what?"

"Scaring you." Nikki answered, not missing a beat. He stood there awkwardly, he had never interacted with people well. He scratched the back of his neck, about to turn to leave when she spoke, "Sit, the heat in this house isn't on yet. It's gonna get cold."

He looked skeptical, weighing his options, choosing to sit down...as far from her as he could have.

Nikki stole glances at him every couple seconds, her phone clutched to her chest.

"You wont need that." He chuckled, staring into the flames engulfing the wood in the fireplace.

"Excuse me?"

Dean smiled, looking at her for the first time since he sat down, "If we wanted to rob you blind...Or hurt you in anyway… We would have done it already."

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><p>"What are we doing here?" Punk asked, slowing the speed of his walk until Kaitlyn was practically pulling him to the door of the diner she had brought him to.<p>

Kaitlyn looked back up at him, "We need pie, and if I heard anything else about the damn case, I would have shot you like Donny from Orphan Black, shot Dr Leekie." He said nothing else until they were seated in a booth and their coffee was sitting in mugs in front of them - his black, hers with two creams and a sugar.

"So, I have a theory-"

"Shut up." Kaitlyn demanded, taking off her leather jacket, revealing her t-shirt. It was a plain white t-shirt with a picture of a pug puppy with sunglasses on. "Like my shirt? I got it at that one place I told you about and - anyway. What's going on with you? And don't lie or i'll kick your ass in this diner."

Punk stared at her, his eyes squinted. He had managed to dodge her concerned questions all day, but he knew that wouldn't work anymore. He didn't want to tell her he had gone home to an empty apartment the day before, or that his marriage had been falling apart long before then. But obviously his two-tone haired partner wasn't having any of it. He held his coffee cup, his hands resting on the table just keeping warm on the ceramic container. He looked up at Kaitlyn, her gaze determined but also begging him to tell her what happened. He sighed, "She left me."

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><p>Brie sat on the porch, a note and a balloon in her hand. Every night, she'd write a letter to her daughter and tie it to a balloon then watch as it floated away. She knew her daughter would never get it, and she also knew she was wasting time she could use to actually call, but she had never had the courage to do so. Her daughter was about 10 now, and Brie hadn't seen her since she gave birth, having left her with her father.<p>

So ever letter started off, _Dear Caroline Orton,. _Never any terms of endearment. Tonight's letter was about the man on the kitchen table and his two friends, Dean, and the ominously quiet Roman.

Brie watched as the balloon floated away, blowing in the wind, narrowly missing a tree. Water droplets falling on her from the roof of the house, she ducked under the roofs edge.

She heard a noise, the sound of leaves crunching. She looked farther in the yard, looking for the source of the noise. Nothing was there. Brie had always been curious, so she started down the steps of the porch, walking over a tree where the ground had been disturbed. There were muddy foot steps, and a hole had been filled. Her eyes widened, something was buried there.

She ran back toward the house, running toward the sliding door that led to the den. She looked in through the huge windows, seeing Nikki asleep on one of the couches. Dean was sitting in another chair, he didn't even look up at her. She slid the glass door open, avoiding Dean as she made her way over to Nikki. She shook her sister awake.

"Jesus Brianna!" Nikki whined groggily, wiping her eyes.

"I need to talk to you."

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><p>"So she just packed up her shit and left?" Kaitlyn asked, her body hunched, her elbows rested on the table. She stared at Punk in disbelief, she couldn't believe Nicole could just walk out on him. She couldn't believe that anyone would leave such an amazing man. Then again, he only showed her the sides he wanted her to see. She never knew when he was being sincere or not. That's why she always felt stupid whenever she got butterflies in her stomach when he looked at her.<p>

He nodded, "Yeah. I got home and the walls were bare, the closet is practically empty, everything from the bathroom is gone, dont even ask about dishes, pots and pans."

"Damn," Kaitlyn sat back, her arms crossed over her chest, "Well what are you gonna do, calling her won't help." She pointed to his phone, "I counted 8 times for today. Stop Punk."

"I don't know what to do." Punk responded quickly, dropping his phone on the table, "My job is literally the only thing I can do without her."

They sat in silence, and she observed him. His head bowed, staring blankly at his tattooed hands. She sighed, looking out the window, watching the rain start to fall faster. Feeling a lump form in her throat, she looked back at him, "Then get her back."

She broke her own heart.


	4. What's Buried

Brie pulled Nikki across the foyer and into the laundry room, shutting the door behind them. She raked her fingers through here hair, loosening knots. "We made a mistake."

Nikki raised her right eyebrow, "What the hell do you mean by we?"

"We let murderers into our home!" She shrieked, pacing in the room.

"What?" Nikki laughed, "I doubt they-"

"Nicole do they honestly not look like they kill people for a living to you?"

Nikki leaned against the dryer, "You let them into the house!" She rubbed her temples. "Oh god, we're going to die."

"Let's just call the police!" Brie answered.

"Yeah. Totally." Nikki replied sarcastically. "Let's call the cops on three career criminals, this is ridiculous."

"That big one buried someone in our backward!" Brie blurted. "There are dead bodies in our backyard. We're gonna go to jail Nicole!"

"Oh god, this is upsurd!" Nikki exclaimed, opening the door and exiting the laundry room, haphazzardly stomping into the kitchen. Roman and Dean sat at the kitchen counter. Nikki crossed the room, grabbing a butchers knife. "Who are you fucking people?!"

Both men blinked in shock, wondering what the hell they could have possibly done to warrant such a question. Dean scratched the back of his head, seating his mind for a answer. He didn't know what to say, "I'm not sure how to answer that. I'm pretty sure we've been through the introductions."

"What did you bury in the backyard, Sampson?" Nikki quipped, referencing a bible story she remembered from her childhood. Brie looked at her, shaking her head, and Dean looked like he would burst into tears any second because of the laughter he was deperately trying to swallow.

"I'm not sure I know what you're talking about..." Roman replied smoothly as his gaze smothered Brie. She looked away, the color in her cheeks no longer from anger and unpleasant feelings.

Dean squinted, staring at the big man. He made an exasperated noise, "Idiot!" He yelled, "You just...and you got caught!"

"You told me to-"

"Subtly!"

"I'm 6'5, I can't be subtle!" Roman argued. Nikki and Brie stared at each other intently, eyebrows raised; they were both wondering who would ask them what they were talkin about first. The two arguing men were oblivious to the women.

"That big Samoan oaf..." Seth coughed from him place on the table, "buried about 8 million in the backyard." All four of them watched him as he sat up, and cracked his neck. It was like he hadn't been shot and sewn back together the day before.

Brie was beside him a moment later, urging him to lay back down, "Take it easy, you could pop those stitches."

"I'm fine." He snapped, startling her, "Sorry."

Dean smacked his forehead, "Smooth Cruella."

"8 million..." Nikki's eyes widened, "Dollars?"

"That would be it." Dean nodded, "And I'm going to kill Roman." He glared at the big man beside him, smacking him on the back of his head. He didn't need the two women to know about it. They were planning on being gone the next day, only coming back to collect the money when the search for them cooled down. But now the two unsuspecting women knew what they did.

"It's not my fault she was snooping." Roman defended.

"Excuse me," Brie scoffed, raising her hand, "I live here." She crossed her arms, her face expressing her offense to his comment. He couldn't possibly think she wouldn't be playing attention to the strangeness of their situation. "And after - in light of all this information- after all this, Nikki and I are expecting you out of here when Seth is better." Brie explained. Nikki looked at her like she had grown another head and sprouted a tail. They didn't discuss kicking them out - they were freaking out, panicking. Granted, Nikki didn't want them there to begin with, but something felt wrong about letting Seth leave. The man had been shot...and maybe she was way too intrigued by all of it to let them leave. The 8 million buried in the back wasn't too bad either.

Nikki shook her head, "I need to go to the store." She needed a distraction.

Dean shook his head, "I'll go with you." He offered, causing everyone to look at him. "What!" He snapped.

"I'm fully capable of going to the store by myself." Nikki fought back.

He shot a look at her, flicking his line of sight down to her leg, "Oh really?" He crossed his arms over his chest. "Besides, it's raining."

Nikki turned on her heel, walking out the kitchen, fighting her limp, "Asshole," she muttered.

"I don't think that's a -" Brie tried to protest.

"He won't kill her, if that's what you're worried about." Seth chuckled, sitting back up. Was that insensitive?

Brie bit her lip, scared because Nikki was leaving her there.

"We don't kill people." Roman interjected.

"I never said you did." Brie countered, her hands starting to shake.

"The fear on your face says you think otherwise." Seth argued.

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><p>"Your sister and you didn't talk about getting rid of us, did you?" Dean asked, his arms crossed and a small smirk on his face. From the corner of his eye, he could see her look at him, shock clearly on her face. "That's what I thought." He chuckled, "Does she make a habit of pulling you into things?"<p>

Nikki, slightly confused and scared, cleared her throat, "Uh, no." She looked back to the road. They were about 5 minutes away from the store. She thought about his question, thinking. Brie didn't pull her into things, did she? "Why- why would you ask me that?"

"Your face is kinda like an open book." He shrugged. Nikki laughed, despite herself. He had totally butchered an expression. He smiled, fully aware of what he'd said. "It's just - you looked at her funny, like you wished she hadn't said what she said."

Nikki nodded, "Yeah, I guess. I mean, yeah, there are times i look at her like she's crazy. But then again, I'm in the car with you." Nikki rambled, pausing when she realized that she kind of insulted him. "Sorry, no offense."

He smiled, a genuine smile, "None taken." He put his hands up, turning on the radio, "I would think I were crazy too, if I got in a car with me too." He laughed. Brushing his hair out of his face, he turned the channel on the radio, nothing but talking was playing through the speakers. "tell me, why the hell are you goin to the store right now?"

Nikki shrugged, "I'm not sure." She stopped at the light, "I needed to get out the house, but you decided to come along." She looked at the time, it was late. "it's stupid. I left my sister with your...friends." She wanted to smack herself. She was just insulting them left and right. "Again, sorry."

"She'll be fine." He shifted in the passenger seat, uneasy. "Honestly, Roman and Seth will keep her all safe from our enemies." He smirked. She looked at him as she pulled off from the light, mortified. He laughed at her expression. "I'm kidding."

She glared at him, "Ha, ha. Joke about having enemies, really funny. Asshole." She muttered. Pulling into a parking space, she cut the engine. He got out first, taking in the surroundings. She rolled her eyes, throwing her purse over her shoulder. "It's a Jewel Osco, not a war zone."

"Let's just get inside." He joined her, walking ahead of her. He was hypervigilant, and Nikki would feel safe if it weren't so weird.

"You don't get out much, do you?"

"I get out too much," Dean looked back at her, "That's the problem."

* * *

><p>Brie stared at her phone, wondering whether or not to do what she has been thinking about doing for a while; texting him. She needed to. She sighed, picking up the phone from the coffee table.<p>

_Randy, hey. I know it's been a while, but I figured I'd let you know I'm still here. How's Caroline? How are you? You don't have to text me back, but I'd...never mind. Hug her for me._

She sighed.

"Someone important?"

She jumped, dropping her phone. She saw his reflection in the TV, she sighed, hoping he wouldn't have found her. Then again, she was in the living room. She could have been anywhere in that big house, but she chose the living room. Nikki claimed the den when they moved in. She looked up at the imposing man, "What do you want-"

"Roman."

"I know your name." She snapped.

He chuckled, "okay. Seth sent me down here to thank you for giving him a room." He walked around the couch, taking a seat. "We should be gone in a few days."

They sat in silence. Brie's mind was racing. She looked at him.

"You're not a doctor, so I'm guessing you're a nurse..." He began, looking at her intently. His grey eyes seemed to cut through the dim light provided by the lamp on the end table.

"What if I was a veterinarian?" She sat back, shifting to look at him.

He smiled, "Then you'd definitely know how to handle Seth." She laughed, despite herself. He chuckled, pointing at her, "She smiles ladies and gentlemen."

"We're the only ones in here."

"Oh, right." Roman scratched his head and made a face, making her snicker.

"You're a cop." Brie squinted. He noticeably stiffened. She hoped she hadn't made him angry. "Crap, was I not-"

"Yeah, I was." He nodded.

"Sorry - I shouldn't"

"What gave me away?" He looked back at her. He threw his arm on the back of the couch.

She cleared her throat. "Just the way you carry yourself. That, and my brother in law - ex brother in law - he's a cop too." She shrugged, trying to hide how uneasy she had become.

He nodded. "Yeah, people call him Punk by any chance?"

"How'd you-"

"I may have seen your sister at the precinct once or twice. Asshole used to take his lunch from her and make her leave." He didn't know why he was telling her that he knew Nikki prior to being in their house. But he figured talking to her would get her to calm down around him. Or maybe he was just being an idiot. "I was only there for about 2 months while he was there, but uh, everyone could tell she wasn't happy." He cleared his throat, "one time he was having a shittier day than normal and came in all pissy. He said something stupid to my partner and I confronted him on it. I said something about getting over himself and start taking care of his shit at home and not bring it to work. He didn't like me after that."

Brie digested everything he said. She looked at the blank TV mounted on the wall. She just let him talk. Seemed like he needed it.

"I gave up work after a while, and ever since then, when I left, he made it his mission in life to bust me."

"Why did you leave?" Brie asked suddenly. "You seem like you were at least decent at your job - sorry - I mean. You couldn't have been bad at it."

"I got tired of cleaning shit up and then having it be messed up again in like an hour."

Brie looked at him, astounded, "So you decided to contribute?"

He chuckled, shrugging, "You can't beat em, join em." He looked down, "My brothers needed me. Dean was a mess and Seth was no better. They needed me."

"I guess I understand that." She understood what it was like to be a mess. Her twenties were a giant mess she wished she could take back. She looked down at her phone.

"It buzzed about 3 minutes ago, you didn't feel it?" Roman looked at her quizzically

"Apparently not."

_8:32 I stared at my phone for about 10 minutes trying to decide if I should reply and I guess I chose to._

_8:33 She's just like you. Looks like you too. I get mad sometimes; looking at her is like looking a picture of you._

_8:33 She asks about you, and I never know what to say._

_8:34 Maybe I should be mad at you, but then it feels like I'm mad at half of her. This isn't forgiveness, I'm just giving you a chance to be in her life. She deserves that much._

Brie felt her eyes water.

Roman placed a hand on her shoulder, "You good?"

She just looked up on him.


	5. Caroline

**AN: I'm on a roll! **

* * *

><p>"Remember when you were chasing that one guy - oooh the one who offed his neighbors - that one? Remember how he jumped the fence and you fell on the way over?" Kaitlyn laughed.<p>

"What about that one time you forgot your gun in church?" Punk countered. The smirk on his face widened while the grin on hers turned to a glare.

Kaitlyn stabbed her fork into her pie, "That was one time."

He threw his head back, dropping his fork as he laughed. After a few more minutes, "What were you doing there with your gun anyway?"

"Some of us go to church." Kaitlyn shrugged, "I just happened to have my gun on me and welll..."

"You left it there..." He grinned.

She laughed sarcastically, taking another bite of pie. Their waitress walked up, silently filling their coffee mugs, and winking at Punk. Both Kaitlyn and Punk burst out laughing when she was no longer in sight.

"God, they just get bolder and bolder, don't they?" Punk looked over his shoulder, turning back when the young waitress waved at him.

"I guess so," she rolled her eyes, polishing off her slice of pie.

Punk nursed his coffee, "You're not jealous, are you?"

"Pft, don't flatter yourself." Kaitlyn looked down, willing her phone to ring. And it did. "Hello?"

"I got something you need to see, Bonin."

"Yeah, okay, we'll be right there."

Punk raised an eyebrow, after she hung up. "What is it?"

"I don't know." Kaitlyn shrugged, "but Sandow has something we need to see." She started to pull money out of her purse, sliding out of the booth.

Punk put up his hand, stopping her from setting the bills on the table. "I got it. Go get in the car."

She nodded, leaving the diner. Out of habit, she scanned her surroundings, looking for anyone suspicious. She checked the back windows of the car, making sure no one was in it. Unlocking the door, she slid into the drivers seat. Sighing, she rested her head on the head rest. She needed sleep.

Kaitlyn knew she shouldn't be pulling all nighters, but she needed to catch Roman, Dean, and Seth. They had been a thorn in her side for over a year. She needed to bring them to justice. Professionally, it was her job to make sure they didn't hurt anymore people or get away with more money than she could count; but for personal reasons, she wanted them all behind bars.

Roman had been her partner for 4 years. She sat back and watched as he lost his passion for his job, she let him get away. He had always looked out for her and vice versa, but she couldn't stop him from turning a blind eye to Seth and Dean's antics and mischief. And by the time she'd worked up the courage to confront him, he'd quit his job and joined them. She remembered being furious and heart broken. She hadn't spoken to him since.

She looked through the windshield, looking at Punk and smirking as he expertly denied the young waitresses attempt at giving him her number. Kaitlyn laughed, shaking her head. The young fool that waitress had been. Kaitlyn was next in line for that one.

Roman couldn't stand Punk, or the way he seemed to hold general animosity against Nicole. And Roman didn't hide it.

She never understood why Nicole drew sympathy from everyone in the precinct. Maybe it was the limp. It made Kaitlyn resent her more. She remembered breaking her ankle in a confrontation with one Eve Torres - daughter of an influencial gang leader and a womAn soon to marry into an affluencial Brazillian family - and never getting a simple, "Are you okay?" from a single soul. Then in waltzed - limped - Nicole Garcia-Colace Brooks, she sheds a tear in front of a few people, and everyone turns into a bleeding heart. It still made Kaitlyn scoff.

She was never one for girl-against-girl hate, but she loathed Nicole. It had always bothered her that no one seemed to care that Punk had gone through the same things his ex wife had been through. Roman sure didn't care.

Kaitlyn remembered it like it were yesterday; Roman's calm confrontation in the squad room. Punk made an ill advised comment and Roman couldn't hold back.

_"I don't know how you did things in Chicago, but here, we hnadle our family issues at home. They don't come to the office." Roman and Punk stood toe to toe, ignoring the nosey stares from colleagues. "Get your head outchyo ass, and maybe, just maybe, your wife wouldn't hate you so damn much."_

From that moment on, neither man could stand the other. Kaitlyn, the ever observant woman, noticed Roman pulling away, and because she had been angry and hurt, she flirted with Punk, took his side over Roman's, and backed him up. At first, she did it to piss off her partner, but one day it smacked her in the face. She wasn't pretending.

Moments after he got in the car, she smirked, looking at the waitress through the glass window of the diner "She was cute." She knew he knew she was patronizing him.

He smirked, "Yeah, I'm not ready for that one."

"Well, what are you ready for?"

"A good nights sleep?" His lips formed a thin line when he looked at her.

She rolled her eyes. Starting the car, she sighed. "You and me both."

* * *

><p>Nikki bit her lip, staring at the different frozen pizzas in the frozen food aisle. She had no idea which one to get.<p>

Dean glanced over his shoulder, watching different people. He'd been doing that since they got to the store and hadn't relaxed since. They'd walked up and down almost every aisle. Nikki picked up random things - put most of them back - and grabbed more things. He looked at her left leg, he knew it was killing her from all the walking. But she wouldn't complain he figured. He rolled his eyes at the thought, and his mounting impatience. "Just fucking pick one." He sighed.

"I didn't tell you to come with me." She bit back, "Now shut up. You should be seen and not heard." She absentmindedly quipped, opening the freezer door and grabbing three pizzas.

He chuckled, the opposite of what she thought he'd do. "You're a piece of work, you know that?"

She shrugged, ignoring the shocked look she got from an old lady. The gray haired women must of thought it was shocking to hear a woman quip so quickly. Nikki looked down, biting back a smile. "I've been married; ten long ass years. And Im way passed the 'I need a man' stage. I said fuck it a long time ago." She looked over her shoulder, wondering if he knew she was lying. Part of her would always need Punk. They'd been through -  
>a lot - threw away a lot - and only he would ever understand that. She just hoped Dean hadn't picked up on that.<p>

Dean watched her, taking a breath, "Apparently not." She shot a look at him, and he smiled, "It took you ten minutes to pick the pizza brand you had originally wanted."

"Yeah, well, I wanted to be sure." She started to push the cart but he took the control from her. She scowled, "I'm capable- I'm not broken."

"Jesus woman, give it up." He shook his head. "You've been wincing since we got here." He whispered harshly, "I'll push the damn cart. Let's get the rest of whatever the hell you want and leave." The same old lady shook her head at them.

After a silent battle of will - a drawn out staring contest - she took a step, and held on to the side of the cart. "I don't like you." She sighed.

Dean placed a hand on his heart, "Im all torn up."

She ignored him to his face, but turned away because she could laugh at any moment, "I need one more thing and then we can check out."

"And what would that be?" He asked, and hint of mockery in his tone.

She smirked, "Tampons."

* * *

><p>"So you're telling me there is no security footage from the robbery?" Kaitlyn crossed her arms.<p>

"Precisely, there is none." Damien Sandow, resident computer guy and grammar officionado - Punk had affectionately dubbed him as such and it stuck - turned in his seat. "Whoever robbed the bank, hacked the computer system, and left a Trojan Horse in it's wake." He crossed his arms. "You aren't dealing with amateurs." He sighed.

"Amatures." Punk teased Sandow because of the way he prounounced the word. He used the proper pronounciation - using 'teur instead of 'ture - and he did it often.

"That's what I said." Sandow turned back around. He typed away, showing them the footage. "Look, everything from before noon is still there. But when 12:30 rolls around, the footage is gone. There's a 15 minute gap." He showed them. The only video that shows up are the police ending up to the scene and the bodies of the two undercover cops bleeding to death at the bank clerk counters. "See?"

"Dammit!" Punk hollered, leaving the room.

Kaitlyn patted Damien's bank, "Thanks."

"You're welcome." He smirked, his signature phrase. He said it all the time; never using a substitute. Kaitlyn rolled her eyes.

Punk sat at his desk. Captain McMahon-Helmsley exited her office, "Anything?"

"Nope." Kaitlyn sat at her desk, her face in her hands. "Ballistics came back, and the rounds they were shot with match their guns. Cap, they were killed by their own guns."

Stephanie frowned, "That doesn't make any sense. We all know they didn't kill themselves. Find me something concrete." She wasn't sure one of her best (former) detectives and his two friends did this anymore.

Punk frowned, his boss was irritating him. He knew it didn't make sense. "No hairs, finger or shoe prints. It's like they weren't even there. But I know it's them." Punk shook his head.

Kaitlyn sighed, "There's nothing about the blood we found in here." She held up the folder.

"We need to start looking into the possibility of new threats. I can't have the mayor breathing down my neck. Find me something."

* * *

><p>Randy Orton, Assistant District Attorney, Father of one. Unmarried. He didn't have time for anything other than what he was. He had a ten year old, precocious, curious, and imaginative daughter.<p>

He walked through his front door, smiling as he Shook the rain from his umbrella and hung it on the coat rack. "I'm home!" He walked into his office, placing his briefcase on his desk and walking back out.

"In the kitchen!."

Walking into the kitchen, he smiled when he saw his daughter at the table, finishing homework of some kind. "Hi daddy, you're late." She frowned.

"I know. I got helld up." He pouted.

She shrugged.

Randy laughed, looking at his sitter, "Any trouble today?"

"Nope." She smiled, grabbing her purse and keys. "She's always an easy kid. But I may have promised her you'd make it up to her for being late." She smiled at him, "I'll see you Monday."

"Yup." He watched her leave. He heard the front door close, sighing as he shrugged off his suit jacket. "So how was school today kiddo?" He put his jacket in the laundry shoot, before taking a seat next to her. Out of habit, he slid into the large booth table, looking out the blinds for anything suspicious.

Caroline looked at him, "Daddy you're being weird again."

"I am not." He countered, laughing as she made a face at him, silently arguing back at him. "God, you look just like her when you do that." He muttered.

"What?" She tilted her head to the side, "See, you are being weird" she finished her homework quietly as Randy watched her. "All done." She put her work into a separate folder especially for math and put it in her back pack. "Eva said you'd watch a movie with me tonight." She smiled

"She did?" He asked, whining, and feigning annoyance.

"Yeah," she giggled.

"Well, then I guess you better go pick a movie." He sighed. She bolted from the table, and ran to the living room. He got up, watching as she quickly moved through the large stack of movies. He stood on the kitchen, behind the counter. Smiling, he put a bag of popcorn in the microwave and joined her in the living room.

"This one!" She held up the dvd.

"The little mermaid." He put his hands on his hips, "I thought you were too old for these kids movies now."

"I changed my mind." She jumped on the couch, her chocolate locks bouncing from her shoulders as she fell flat on the couch. He put in the disk and went back into the kitchen to get the popcorn. "Are you going to share?" She asked as he sat next to her.

"No."

"Meanie." She pouted. Randy looked away, a burning in his chest. She looked so much like Brie. She had texted him and now she was in every little expression Caroline made.

Caroline cuddled into her fathers side as the movie started.

"Why do you like this movie so much?" Randy asked the ten year old, looking down and smiling as she shoveled popcorn into her mouth.

After she finished chewing and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she looked up at him, innocent brown eyes big and staring at him, "Because it reminds me of us."

He smiled, but quickly wrinkled his brows. "But you don't have a tail."

"No, not because of that silly," she rolled her eyes dramatically, "It reminds me of us because Ariel doesn't have a Mommy and I don't either. And I have a fish too!" She smiled, not even realizing that her words struck him so hard.

It was in that moment he realized he'd made the right choice in telling Brie she needed to be in Caroline's life.


	6. Car Ride

**AN: Took me a while, I am so very sorry. But in my defense, I updated other things. Lol. **

**I hope you like it. **

* * *

><p>Kaitlyn and Punk stepped out the police station, both laughing at a stupid joke he'd said. They had an interesting day, and she was grateful that it didn't stay the way it started out.<p>

It was late. Very late. But they refused to leave without accomplishing something.

Kaitlyn unlocked her car, getting in before Punk did. As he sat down, she looked at him, "Remind me again why you don't drive to work?"

He smirked, "Because I have you." It was true, he didn't drive to work because she always picked him up. If he were honest with himself, he'd say that deep down, he liked that she had been willing to drive him everywhere. She hadn't complained about it. She enjoyed being with him. And after a while, he enjoyed being with her. Not just the free car rides.

She felt a pang of an emotion she couldnt place, in the pit of her stomach. She looked down, thanking God that it was dark out; the blush in her cheeks would surely be embarrassing. But she knew, even though he couldn't see her blushing, he could feel it.

As they drove, he turned off the radio.

"Hey!" Kaitlyn whined as they began to slowed to a stop. "I was listening to that."

He looked at her, waiting for her to pay attention to him, "I know. And I'll turn it back on, right after I say this."

"Okay." Kaitlyn looked at him hesitantly.

"I've been shitty lately, I know. Sooooo...Thanks, for today." He smiled at her, and she smiled back. "I needed it. And I appreciate that you don't let me be an ass all the time. Also, sorry for all the other times I will be a dick in the future."

"You ruined the moment." Kaitlyn laughed.

They fell back into silence as she drove off from the light.

* * *

><p>"I'm never going anywhere with you ever again." Dean tried to sound bitter, but he couldn't fight the smile on his face. He was in the drivers seat, he had refused to let Nikki drive.<p>

She'd never admit it, but she appreciated that he really didn't care how many times she that she insisted she was fine, he knew she couldn't drive at the moment. Not without being in serious pain. He knew, just from a couple of hours, she wasnt as strong as she said. She didn't know if she liked that part or not.

"I didn't even ask for you to be here with me right now." Nikki retorted indignantly, crossing her arms. Even though she knew him driving was the best idea at the time, she would argue with him just because she didn't like people thinking she was incapable. She hated the feeling that came with the looks of pity or the sorry glances.

Dean rolled his eyes. Nikki was so difficult. "I offered." he remembered that part clearly.

"You invited yourself." Nikki argued. He smiled at her, he was enjoying himself and she knew it.

"Same difference."

After a moment, she looked at him, realizing he didn't know where he was going, "Do you even know what street this is?"

He looked at her, and then back to the road, "Yes." That was blatant lie.

Nikki rolled her eyes, "No, you don't."

They rolled to a stop, just having missed the final seconds of the yellow light. Dean looked at her, his face made up with mock frustration. "Look at what you did!" They were arguing just for the sake of arguing.

Nikki's eyebrows shot up. "What? I changed the light now?"

Dean sputtered, "You- uh- I missed it because-"

"Just shut up." Nikki snapped, turning away as she smiled. She shifted in her seat and a jolt of pain rocketed up her left side. She grimaced.

She could see from the corner of her eye that Dean was hesitantly looking at her. "I'm fine."

"Of course." He nodded. He wouldn't dare expect her to say anything else. He had experience with people who tried to hide things from him. Painful memories threatened to surface, but he pushed them away.

Nikki hid everything. She didnt even look at him too long just because she didn't want to him to read her expressions. It was almost funny, watching her attempt being closed off, but only because he'd rather laugh than cry.

"Oh, my god." Nikki's eyes widened, startling him.

Dean jumped at her outburst. He held his hand to his chest. "What?" She was looking through the window, so he peered forward to see who it was.

"No!" She hit his chest, "Don't look, he'll see you."

Dean kept trying to see, "Who?"

"My ex-" She paused when she saw who was driving. Her upper lip curled into a sneer. "That...ugh."

Kaitlyn.

She had been terrible to Nikki. And Nikki wouldnt soon forget. All the angry glances and muttered comments were burned into Nikki's brain.

"That's your ex husband?!" Dean asked incredulously, a slight squeak in his voice. He knew that face anywhere, he forgot names, but never a face. That was that one Brooks guy. The cop. Dean felt like he was getting a sick joke played on him.

Then the light changed.

"Go." Nikki anxiously yelled, pushing his shoulder with both hands.

As he turned, Dean watched her, "You're husband is an op?"

Nikki half listened to Dean and half listened to the loud beating of her own heart. "A what?" She turned in her seat, looking back to see Punk staring intently at the back of her car.

"Never mind." Dean shook his head, looking back on the street. He and the guys needed to leave. And fast. It would be sooner rather than later that Punk would come looking for her and find them. And that would not be pretty.

As they pulled into the long driveway, Nikki rubbed her temples. "This is bad."

Dean ignored the comment, pressing the button he'd seen her use to open the garage. "Go inside. "

"What?" She looked at him agitatedly.

"Go insided and I'll bring the stuff in." Dean elaborated. "Go, I'm not asking you."

"Bossy."

"Hardheaded!" He yelled through the car door, watching her limp up the steps and walk into the laundry room. From his place in the car, he watched the washer swished around more bloodied clothing. Seth had probably bled through his stitches and it worried him.


	7. Just Another Day

**AN: Here's another chapter. It may seem a little short, but I decided to focus on other characters in this one. Randy, Caroline, and Eva, with some Brie. Hopefully, you see the character development, lol**

**I hope you like it.**

**There are probably some typos - they'll be corrected later. **

* * *

><p>The sound of Randy's alarm woke him that morning, 5:30, like every other morning. And like every other time, Caroline had managed to sneak her way into his room, her big, over-sized teddy bear laying between them. As she got older, she seemed to be getting more and more defiant when it came to sleeping in her own room. She'd go to bed in her own room, but wake up in his. After carrying her back so many times, Randy gave up. Caroline had won and she got her way, something she retained from Brie. He had a hard time leaving her that morning - harder than usual- but he got up, stretched his arms over his head, and yawned.<p>

As he stood in the shower, one hand on the tiled wall, and his head bowed under the shower head, he wondered why he felt so conflicted.

Brie had been gone for years, and had shown no signs of wanting to be in their daughter's life until she just texted him out of the blue. How she'd gotten the number wasn't a mystery to him, he was in the phonebook for business purposes, but he had never - in a million years - think she'd contact him. She had made it blatantly clear the night she left them, she wasn't capable of being a mother. What had changed?

He ran his hands over his face, the now cold water waking him up. Getting out the shower, he wrapped himself in a towel.

The smell of his morning coffee had made it's way upstairs, revealing the time, 6 am. Eva Marie, or just Eva, was already downstairs.

He quickly got dressed in a dress shirt and slacks, feeling lazy. His suit jacket was unnecessary, it only ever ended up on the back of his chair and left in the office.

"Good morning, Boss Man." Eva smirked, her back facing him. He said nothing in return, only kissing her cheek and then getting a mug from the cabinet. They had that type of relationship; after years of friendship and late night Caroline Duty, she had just become their caretaker. She was a college graduate with a bachelors in business management and human resources, and could have easily gotten herself a well paying job. But she chose to take care of a family that wasn't even her own. She settled for an apartment and nannying. Eva had always told him that she wouldn't just leave him… He chuckled, something she'd said in the past replaying in his mind, "_For the sake of Caroline's hair, I have to stay."_

"How's Jonathan?" Randy asked as he sipped his coffee and checked his email from the kitchen counter. He hadn't lifted his eyes from the laptop screen, but he could feel her stop what she was doing and turn to look at him.

Eva held a butter knife in her hand, peanut butter threatening to fall onto the dark wood floors. She stared at him for a moment, a hurt look on her face before she turned back around and stuck the knife into the open jar of peanut butter on the counter. He could tell she wanted to say something, but for whatever reason, she decided not to share.

"What?" Randy paused, thinking of getting up from his seat, but chose against it. He hadn't asked about her personal life in a while, so he had no clue what was going on in it.

"We broke up." Eva answered noncommittally, as if he couldn't read her as easily as she hid her emotions. He knew that was all she was going to tell him, so he didn't push the subject any further.

Randy bit the inside of his cheek, nodding slowly. "I think I'll be at the office late today." He changed the subject.

"Okay." was all she said before she dropped the butter-knife in the sink. He watched her walk around the kitchen like she lived in it. She knew exactly where Caroline's lunchboxes were, where he had hid all the snacks and how many of them went in the lunchbox. Randy was positive she had put everything where they were anyway.

Eva wiped counters and put dishes away, looking at the time, "You're gonna be late."

"Shit," Randy jumped up, rushing to put his mug in the dishwasher. He disappeared into the hallway, she could hear him rummaging around in his office.

Eva shook her head as he yelled his goodbye from the front door.

She watched from the kitchen window as he sped out the driveway into the early morning. Taking a deep breath, she mentally prepared herself for the rest of the day.

* * *

><p><em>Brie smiled at the little boy laying in the hospital bed, ruffling his hair. Standing, she fixed the IV bag, moving the stand back behind the bed so he couldn't touch it. Looking at his parents, she put her hands on her hips, "Dr. Moore will be with you guys shortly."<em>

_The young mother thanked her as she passed the privacy curtain that separated them from the chaos of the rest of the E.R. Brie jumped back as a group of nurses and doctors rushed a gurney passed her. From what she could see, there was a young man, a car accident victim clinging to life. As they disappeared, she walked to the nurses desk, sitting behind it. She had been distracted all day, but luckily for her, other than that new man from the car accident, the day had been slow. Only confused parents of young children had been coming in. It was like she was being taunted._

_She checked her phone, a few texts from Nikki. None of them needed much attention, just questions asking where unpacked boxes were._

_Brie was tempted to ask her sister to check on Seth, but her twin had made it very clear that morning, she wasn't going to be responsible for their unwelcome house guests. So, she left Roman in charge of him. She sighed, scrolling through her inbox, when she got another text. Unlike what she expected, it was Randy._

**_I think we should meet for coffee and talk. We have a lot to catch up on._**

_Without thought, she replied._

**_I'm_****_ free in an hour, just tell me where._**

* * *

><p>Eva watched Caroline through the rear-view mirror. Her dark hair blowing in the wind provided by the open window. She had know Caroline's mother, they had been friends but Brie had severed ties with everyone when she left. From what Eva knew, Brie finished school, became a nurse, and decided to come back home to be closer to her sister. What she didn't understand, was how she could have left such beautiful little baby. But that was years ago. Caroline was ten now, and Brie had missed so much. Eva, she, her alone, had been there for Randy when he didn't know what to do. Brie didn't deserve to know how well they had been after her.<p>

Caroline suddenly looked up, smiling at her, "Where are we going?"

"Where do you want to go, Pumpkin?" Eva asked, leaning her elbow against the door and resting her chin on her knuckles.

"I don't know," She sighed, her shoulders slouching as she turned back to look out the window.

"How about the-"

"Eva," Caroline looked back up at her, "Can you be my Mommy?"


	8. Talks

**My updating timeline is non existent. i cry. **

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><p>Staring at the trees in the backyard, Nikki sat with her leg propped up on pillows, rubbing her fingers on her shin. She wondered what her life would have been like had she never met Punk. Would she have still found herself where she was? Surrounded by people but ultimately alone? She ran her hands through her long caramel colored hair, looking down at the cellphone in her lap. Punk's name had been deleted, but she knew his number by heart. It was him. She let it ring, praying she wouldn't be weak and answer it eventually.<p>

"Avoiding something?"

She jumped at the sound of the husky voice. It was Dean.

"Jesus!" She held her chest, "You scared me..." She muttered, running a thumb over the screen of her cell phone before declining the call.

Forgetting that he asked her a question, he answered her. "I got tired of watching you from inside." He shrugged. The tone of his voice made her shiver. He sounded like he smoked one too many cigarettes, and yelled at too many people. But it added to his mysterious, bad boy appeal. Nikki was almost repulsed by the way her body reacted to it. She watched him, eyeing the way he seemed to glide over to her. It was ironic. Everything about him appeared eccentric, but after spending time with both him and Roman, she found that he was often quieter than he appeared. He was only noticed when he wanted to be. That scared her. She knew where his stealth was used.

"Creep." She bit back at him, watching as he sat at the foot of her chair. "What do you want?"

He bit his lip and looked out over the patio, observing the sky. "To figure you out." He didn't look back at her. But Nikki could see the small smile on his face and the dimples in his cheeks.

"There's nothing to figure out." Nikki flipped her hair, leaning back and watching him warily as he put her feet in his lap.

He looked at her, an air of curiosity. "And yet, you sit and think about something that upsets you." He leaned forward, peering at her phone, "All while you ignore that same number."

Nikki's breath hitched. Anger bubbling. But she couldn't move or push him away. "Don't make the mistake of thinking you know anything about me."

Dean just smiled.

* * *

><p>Kaitlyn sat at her desk, eyeing the paper work. She had files and files on Seth, Dean and Roman. All their backgrounds and stories in folders. She almost felt like she had their lives in her hands. The dark details no one was supposed to know about someone. She kicked her Doc Marten clad feet off her desk, grabbing the first file from the stack. It was Seth's file.<p>

He was thrown between foster homes as a kid, having been in at least 11. Each account the same, Seth was detached from them and refused to even speak to them. But he was a brilliant mind. By the age of 17, he had started to hack into computer data banks just for fun. Each time, getting away with it. He had run with different heist groups before he went missing for 3 years.

Kaitlyn flipped through the different pages, reading an ME report. His biological mother died when he was 22, and that was rumored to be what caused him to spiral into drunken oblivion.

Kaitlyn put the file down. She almost felt bad about what happened to him. But that feeling was eclipsed by the fact that he had played a hand in the deaths of her coworkers and the turning of her partner.

"That's enough of that." Kaitlyn blew out a breath. She'd pick it up later.

Laying her head back, she stared at the precinct ceiling. She needed a lead. A solid lead that would point at Roman, Dean, and Seth. She knew in her gut that they were behind the robbery and various illegal happenings around town and in surrounding jurisdictions. She just needed to prove it.

* * *

><p>Brie sat at a table in the corner of a local coffee shop. She played with the end of her fishtail braid, running her fingers through the excess hair at the end of the braid. She sat where she could see the entire café but her eyes lingered on the window facing the parking lot. She hoped that she'd see Randy show up soon, and she wouldn't get text telling her that he changed his mind. She sipped her coffee, her hands warming on the sides of the mug.<p>

Brie nearly choked on the hot coffee as she saw a black BMW pull into the lot. She recognized Randy immediately. He was still as handsome as the college student she had fallen for ten years ago. She watched as he opened his umbrella and closed his car door. She could see him take a deep breath all the way from where she sat.

As he walked toward the door, Brie could feel the panic and urgency building inside her. But Brie knew that if she ran away again, he'd never speak to her again. He and Caroline were too important to leave behind again.

Randy pushed the door open, then dropped his umbrella from over his head. He still hadn't seen her. Closing his umbrella, he smiled at a barista as if he'd known her. Looking up, he paused. There she was, sitting there, panicking. He could feel her anxiety through the café. But in that instant, no matter how much he wanted to deny it, he saw the same scared expression he'd seen the day she told him she was pregnant. The watery, brown, big with fear, eyes. He harbored feelings he knew would get in the way of how he handled the situation.

Brie held her breath as Randy walked to the counter and ordered. She looked at the time on her cell phone. A phantom of a smile played on her lips. It was 4 pm. He wasn't ordering a coffee. That much she knew. Her anxiety doubled when he got his drink and headed toward her.

She stood, straightening her scrubs and looking up at him. Brie felt as if everything around them stopped. He said nothing. Absolutely nothing. He just sat down. Motioning for her to sit back down as well.

They stared at each other, and Brie felt her eyes watering. She was overwhelmed with emotions and feelings of regret. Collecting herself as much as she could, she pushed a chocolate chip muffin across the table. "I remembered it was your favorite." Randy looked at the muffin as if he'd never seen one before, spinning it with his index finger and thumb. "Hot Chocolate." Brie sighed, inclining her head toward his mug. He didn't drink coffee after noon. And it was long past noon.

"Mhm." Randy answered. He hadn't touched the mug since he put it on the table. He wouldn't say it, but he was feeling too many emotions, his hands were shaking. He'd spill chocolate milk everywhere if he attempted to pick up the mug. There was an awkward silence, and Randy refused to break it. He wanted to ride it out as long as needed. He would see if she would say what he wanted to hear. He just stared at her coffee mug.

"Um." Brie started. "How are things? You look like everything turned out the way you planned." The timidness in her voice was noticeable, but she knew Randy wouldn't point it out.

"Things are fine." He answered, leaning back against his chair. "But you wouldn't know that, now would you?"

Brie bowed her head. She was expecting the snark and harshness.

"I deserved that." Brie nodded, feeling the tears in her eyes. "I wasn't around, I know. I'm a terrible mom-"

"You aren't a mom." Randy shook his head, "Hell, you were gone less than two days after Caroline was born." He finally sipped his hot chocolate like he hadn't just insulted her. However, he did so to hide his expression; sadness.

"I was scared!" Brie almost yelled, but she remembered that they were in public, number one, and two, he had every right to be angry with her.

Randy raised an eyebrow, turning the mug on the table, switching the handle between hands. "And you don't think I was too?" He scoffed, "But I grew up. Caroline saved my life and gave me the kick in the ass I needed to start taking my schooling seriously. But no, you saw her as a curse before she was even born." He was surprisingly calm, speaking as if he had ran that very moment through his head multiple times.

Brie wanted to throw her coffee in his face, but she knew she would only make the situation worse. She looked around a brief moment, not a single person in the café was even paying attention to them.

"That's not fair..." She muttered, feeling pathetic.

"Isn't it though?" Randy crossed his arms. "You made her seem like she was the cause of the end of world. When in reality all you were doing was running. Running away from your responsibilities, her...and me." He looked as if he were going to cry, but the look soon disappeared just as soon as it appeared. "You didn't even wait for the ink on her birth certificate to dry before you left. And now you want in?"

Brie couldn't handle it anymore. "Yes! Jesus Christ, I was 19! I couldn't-" she burst into tears. She covered her face with her hands, hiding from him.

Randy knew he had pushed her, but he wanted to know she actually felt anything at all. And as bad as it was, he was glad she felt like crap about it. She should. She wasn't incapable of being a mother, at the time, she was a coward who let her fear chase her away from one of the best things in the world; parenthood.

After a moment, he too shook his head. "I was 22, almost 23. I had no clue what I was doing, but Christ!" He slammed his hands on the table.

Brie was startled, and she caught a glimpse of the concerned looks they were getting. She wiped her face, "I'm sorry." He scoffed and she knew she'd have done the same. "But I know we can't change that. I just want to be there for her now."

"You missed ten years. You don't even know her." The sad truth was thrown out on her. And she felt every syllable of it. Randy took a breath. "How do I know you won't just leave again?"

"Because I know what it's like to watch others lose their loved ones." Brie sniffled. She immediately thought of her sister and what pain she went through when she lost her baby. "I know the value of a family."

There was a long pause, and she could tell that Randy was skeptical of her. But had the tables been turned, she'd be taking it a lot worse than he was. She'd have made sure that Randy suffered. But he could never be heartless towards her and lord knows he could have been. But Brie was glad he wasn't.

She asks about you." Randy finally broke.

"She does?" Brie questioned. "You've talked about me?"

"Not necessarily." Randy amended. "She asks why she doesn't have a mommy like the other kids."

That broke Brie's heart. "Oh god." She held her hands over her face, shaking her head. "Please, let me see her."

He pulled out his wallet, opening it up and pulling out a picture. "Here, it's a picture from her birthday." It was a little square picture. Caroline was smiling at the camera. Brie assumed that she had just blown out her candles. "Y'know what she wished?"

Brie shook her head, tears running freely. "What, a puppy?" She chuckled to hide her sniffle.

"No," Randy picked at the chocolate chips on the top of the muffin she gave him. Noncommittally flicking them. "She wished to have you."


	9. Progress

_**AN: Night time updates for the win! I am not giving up on this story. Thanks for sticking with me. :)**_

_**There are probably typos, but I'll fix them later. **_

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><p>Roman and Seth sat on the bed in the guest room Brie had confined Seth to. They were skimming through channels, as Roman listened to Seth talk about his <em>mini-vacay.<em> Roman was silent until they stopped on a news report about the robbery. The report was almost over when sketches of their faces were flashed across the screen. They were almost laughable attempts at generic, almost offensive picture.

"I think that's supposed to be us." Seth rasped. He chuckled but his laugh turned to a cough.

Roman handed him the glass of water on the bedside table. "You're gonna bust your stitches and Brie ain't here to fix em."

Seth nodded. "I know. But I wouldn't mind her taking care of me forever."

Roman rolled his eyes and a small twinge of jealousy rolled around in his stomach. "I think she would." He looked at the sketches, "They never get your nose right." He chuckled. Seth's nose was always either too big, or super hooked. And it never stopped amusing Roman and Dean.

"Shut up." Seth said. "Back to Brie, I was thinking we should give them some of the money." Seth said absentmindedly. "Brie was telling me she's been trying to convince Nikki to get surgery but they can't afford it."

"No insurance?" Roman asked.

Seth shook his head, "Nope, the surgery would be considered cosmetic, I guess that's not covered." Seth shrugged.  
>Like Braces."<p>

"Well, that's dumb." Roman commented. For a moment, he wondered why Brie would be in that room with Seth doing anything other than checking Seth's stitches and changing gauze. Much less talking about their financial woes.

"She didn't even mean to talk to me about it, but I brought up the kitchen incident and the money and she said that they could use it. But Nikki is too proud." Seth shrugged, "It's dumb really. She's so independent, she can't even accept help. I bet Brie hates that."

"We should talk to Dean." Roman muttered, not really feeling like it was their place to discuss Brie and Nikki's personal lives or interactions with each other. It was ridiculous to him that Seth even cared. And he didn't want to think about Seth and Brie conversing when she had been so distant with him. Roman was jealous, and that was ridiculous as well.

"Well duh." Seth chuckled. Roman flicked him off and gently hit in with a pillow. The older man would never understand how Seth was so relaxed when it came to what they did to make money. It was even more horrifying that Seth didn't even flinch when it came to pulling a trigger… the same could be said for Roman, so he kept those thoughts to himself.

Seth, being the drama queen he is, screamed. "Owww! You're killing me!" His eyes widened when he heard footsteps running up the stairs.

Roman hushed him and took a fighting stance. But it was just Dean. Their partner burst through the door.

Roman relaxed. "He's fine." Roman dismissed his panic. "Little shit thinks it would be nice to be taken care of forever."

Dean swatted Seth on the back of his head. "Fuck is wrong with you?" Seth shrugged. Dean's expression flattened, and he got the urge to press his fingers in Seth's wound. But didn't. "You scared the fuck outta me."

"And me." Nikki appeared and held herself up in the doorway. She flipped her hair out of her face, and caught Dean's eye for a moment. He smirked at her, and she rolled her eyes.

"Sorry about that." Seth apologized with a small smirk. "All of you need to lighten up though."

"Dean, we need to talk to you." Roman interjected.

Nikki took the hint and nodded. "Are you guys hungry? I'll go make something." She didn't really know why she had a sudden change of heart. But seeing Seth made her realize that they all needed help. She was also, despite her better judgement, fascinated by them. "I'll make dinner. What do you guys want?"

They all looked at her quizzically.

"Umm, anything is fine." Roman answered her with a small smile. Dean watched her as she left, and continued to look even after she was gone.

"I thought she hated us." Seth spoke up when she was gone. "I mean, I got that, but now she's cooking for us? I don't get _that._"

"Are you complaining?" Roman asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "She should letcho stupid ass starve." Roman continued. He hated that Seth could be so ungrateful.

"You are the one confined to this room." Dean laughed at Seth's shocked expression. He thought about Nikki again, "She's not that bad."

"She doesn't like you either." Seth interjected as he tried to change the channel on the tv. Roman snatched the remote.

"We need to discuss somethings." Roman turned off the tv, "We need to figure out how much time we have left here."

"I think that's up to Brie really." Seth smirked, "She's the doctor."

"She's an E.R. nurse." Dean corrected him quickly, and soon they would be tumbling more and more off topic. "And you just like when she baby's you."

"She's hot," Seth shrugged, "Bite me."

Dean shook his head, "Is that how we view women now, Seth?" he chuckled, teasing his friend.

"Shut up, both of you." Roman snapped, feeling annoyed by the turn of the conversation. "I'm trying to be serious."

"You're always serious." Seth replied.

* * *

><p>"Eva?" Caroline jumped from the bottom step in the staircase and took off running once she hit the landing. "Where are you?"<p>

"The living room." Eva called back. "Why aren't you sleeping?" She looked at her cell phone and sighed. "It's 9:30."

"It's Friday!" Caroline jumped onto the couch, laid her head in Eva's lap and curled up with her blanket. "Daddy's not here and I can't sleep without 'im."

"Why not?" Eva asked her. Caroline made up her face and looked up at her. She was such a little woman when she wanted to be; attitude for days.

"Because I have to know he's safe, duh." Caroline answered. She pulled her blankt up to her chin, her hands clutching the fabric like it were a lifeline. From a young age - well, younger - she'd realized that mommy's and daddy's don't always come back home. And it scared her to think that if her Dad left, she'd have no Dad or Mom.

"I'm sure he's fine." Eva rubbed the child soft, brown hair. The soft waves were tangle free and curled at the ends. Eva remembered that hair. Brie's hair was just like that in college. And from what she knew about Brie, the woman's hair has always been that way. She looked down at Caroline and saw Brie. Her big chocolate eyes blinked back up at her, her long wispy eyelashes touching underneath her eyebrows. Those were Randy's. Caroline had his eyebrows and his nose. Everything else was Brie. Randy told Eva that Caroline even had her hands and feet.

"I'm gonna wait for him." Caroline said with conviction. Eva would have to fight her upstairs.

"Only until he get's here and you can say good night." Eva warned, "It's way past your bedtime."

"But-" Caroline whined.

"What did I say?" Eva said, her voice stern.

"Daddy will let me stay up." Caroline answered readily, daring Eva to say she was wrong. She knew she had Randy wrapped around her little finger.

Eva laughed, "We'll see."

* * *

><p>"She looks like you." Randy said, sipping his hot chocolate. He had relaxed through the hours he and Brie had been sitting in the cafe. "She says things I swear only you would say."<p>

Brie snorted, "My Brie-isms?" Randy nodded, finally pinching a piece of the muffin off and popping it into his mouth. He wanted to just sit there forever and catch up, but he had responsibilities as an adult, a father, and the head of his little family. Brie could have been included but she ran. And he couldn't handle that again. So he'd be cold and disconnected as much as possible. Right then, he tensed again, and pushed his mug to the edge of the table so someone working there would come pick it up. Brie watched his change and bit her lip.

"Why'd you come back?" Randy asked suddenly. He'd asked why she left, but not why she came back. He wasn't even sure he wanted - or prepared - for her answer.

Brie sighed and ran her sweaty palms on her work pants. "I wanted to fix everything I've broken. Everyone around me are losing the things and people they care about, and here I am, not being a mother to my child or helping you with her. I know I don't deserve it, but I want to earn the right to be in her life."

Randy nodded, rubbing his hand against his tattooed forearm absentmindedly, "This is gonna take some time Brianna."

"I know," Brie placed her hand on his to get his attention. "But that's all I want, time. I want to spend time with her... and you." Brie replied softly. She wanted to be apart of a family again, and that_ included_ Randy. She had Nikki, but that was different; Nikki was family Brie was born into. Brie wanted to be in the family she started with Randy... _with Randy. _

"I need you to understand one thing," Randy leaned forward, finally forcing her to remove her hand from his forearm. "I can't promise she won't be upset with you or that she'll connect with you. Or that some days I won't resent you more than others. I loved you at one point, and we have a lot of…" He paused, his hand hanging in the air as he tried to continue. Brie didn't but-in because she didn't want him to shut down. She was shocked he was being open enough to tell her what he was thinking in the moment… Little did she know, he was filtering. She was used to being the one talking. He had always been more internal than her. But in the end, it didn't matter because she hadn't expressed herself when it mattered.

He grunted, "We have a lot of shit to sort through before I even think about inserting you back into her life."

Brie finished off her coffee, the lukewarm drink was keeping her from scratching her palm in unease. She hated knowing that he was so angry or hurt that he would choose to keep her out for so long. But she couldn't argue with him. "I know, I get it."

"I have to think." Randy hit his wrists on the table, his hands flexed. He was focusing on her mug, and trying to think about whether or not this was what he wanted. "_You_ need to think."

"I have." Brie insisted. She had thought long and hard about her past and how selfish she had been.

Randy looked at her again, "Have you really? The responsibility was too much for you - that's why you left, how do you know you won't just leave when it gets too tough again?" He rubbed his index finger on his lips, like he was contemplating, tension showing in his shoulders. He stopped that action abruptly and pointed a finger at her. "I'll be damned, Brie. I'll be_ damned_, if you think I'd let you in and out of this… If you can't do it -you know, stick around - then don't say you will. If this is something you can't handle, then you need to let me know now, because I won't play jeopardy with my daughter's feelings."


End file.
